> England's Northern Cavalry' on the charge in Helmand

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Military Operations

'England's Northern Cavalry' on the charge in Helmand

13 Sep 07

Nicknamed England's Northern Cavalry, it is not horses that The Light Dragoons have gone into battle with in southern Afghanistan but robust and effective tracked vehicles. Report by Major John Godfrey and Corporal Jon Bevan.

Major John Godfrey watches the battle commence in the Green Zone from his armoured Spartan vehicle
[Picture: Corporal Jon Bevan RLC]

During the last few months, the armoured vehicles of The Light Dragoons' B Squadron, better known as CVR(T) or Combat Vehicle Reconnaissance (Tracked), have covered a combined total of over 40,000 miles, often operating right at the limit of support helicopter range. Indeed B Squadron are the only sub-unit to have operated to the north of Musa-Qaleh, in support of operations around Gereshk and the Lower Sangin Valley, and on the banks of the 'fish hook' of the River Helmand in the far south of the Province.

Renowned for being a close-knit unit it is this bond that has been the key to the unit's success during their current operational tour, a tour which has seen them regularly conduct dangerous patrols and brought them face to face with the Taliban.

CVR(T) may be no spring chicken, but it continues to demonstrate its effectiveness on the ground in Afghanistan. During a recent operation, B Squadron conducted a 220 kilometre insertion to establish a screen to the north of the River Helmand.

It was a classic Formation Reconnaissance task, B Squadron outflanking known and suspected Taliban defensive positions to the north of Sangin by crossing the dominating Musa-Qaleh wadi at the very base of the Province's northern mountain range.

In Helmand it's impossible to avoid the attention of the Taliban's own reconnaissance network; motorcycles trailed the multinational patrol from a distance, reporting their approach throughout. The deliberate crossing of the kilometre wide and 100 metre deep natural obstacle of the wadi and the final 45 kilometre approach of the patrol was therefore completed at high speed in just five hours, with the patrol changing direction every kilometre to keep Taliban ambush teams en route guessing as to its ultimate destination. Once in position, the Squadron was surrounded in all directions by a combination of natural obstacles and known enemy strongholds.

Corporal John Ford a vehicle mechanic works solidly trying to fix the vehicle even through the night without rest
[Picture: Corporal Jon Bevan RLC]

CVR(T) was designed for use in the rubber plantations of Malaya. It entered service in the early 1970s and, with considerable improvements, is destined to remain in service with the British Army for many more years. It is armed with a number of weapons systems which have proven highly effective in the 40 plus contacts the Squadron has fought over the sweltering summer months.

In August, air conditioning units arrived in theatre to help the crews in the battle against daily driver's cab temperatures of over 65 degrees centigrade. The units are a necessary and welcome addition to the vehicle. However, perhaps the most significant improvement to the vehicle has been the increased armour protection.

During one patrol, the Squadron suffered its first mine strike. Second Lieutenant Merlin Hanbury Tenison, aged 22, from Bodmin, is on his first deployment. Although his Scimitar vehicle was written off, the crew of three walked away completely unscathed:

"We were blown about three feet in the air and the vehicle came to a standstill 50 metres away," he said. "It took a few seconds to realise what had happened, and it was the single most terrifying moment of my life. I was convinced that I was going to die and even worse I thought my crew were all dead."

2nd Lt Hanbury Tenison, like many of his colleagues, believes the training he and his men received - up to ten months before the actual deployment - has prepared them well:

"The training has been superb and it made me ready for combat. The first time that you are shot at, your training kicks in just as the people who taught you said it would. Nothing can prepare you for driving over mines but my friends and colleagues have been very supportive and I can only equate this to falling off a bicycle and getting back on again. Banter between the men makes life bearable over here and even cheating death can be joked about."

The armoured column during the long drive to the first halt across the desert
[Picture: Corporal Jon Bevan RLC]

The Scimitar driver, Trooper Lee Dobbs, aged 20, whose father Mark recently left the Squadron after his six month tour of duty, added:

"One minute we were talking on the intercom about how great this patrol was, driving over mountain dunes, the next minute there was a big explosion and silence. When the vehicle stopped a few seconds later I turned around screaming for my Troop Leader and my friend. I was so relieved when both their heads popped up out of the gun turret."

The Estonian Explosive Ordance Disposal (EOD) team attached to the patrol swept a safe route to the vehicle and after all BOWMAN radio equipment, weapons and personal equipment had been recovered, the vehicle was denied. The incident provided a sobering reminder of the everyday dangers that the vehicle crews face, but also amply illustrated the excellent protection afforded to them.

The Squadron's unsung heroes are their 12 man Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME) Fitter Section. On this patrol, Corporal John Ford a Vehicle Mechanic worked tirelessly with a Spartan vehicle crew for 12 hours throughout the night using a tiny light source to fix a broken down vehicle. While the vehicle crews get into their routine and snatch a few hours of rest each night, the REME soldiers simply do whatever it takes in order to get broken vehicles back on the road.

Lance Corporal Louis Iddon watches from the commanders hatch of his Spartan armoured vehicle
[Picture: Corporal Jon Bevan RLC]

Urgent spare parts are delivered directly to the field and new engines and assemblies, carefully wrapped in foam padding by the Squadron's support staff in Camp Bastion are routinely dropped by airplane or helicopter to the remote desert locations in a matter of hours. The Squadron's availability has remained impressively high throughout the tour.

B Squadron's Commanding Officer, Major John Godfrey, summed up his feelings towards all of his soldiers:

"Afghanistan is a theatre of operations in which British soldiers put the theoretical tactics and ideas taught at its training schools like Brecon and Warminster into actual practice on a daily basis. The enthusiasm shown by the soldiers and their determination to take the fight to the enemy is unstinting. The sense of achievement that we all share at the end of a patrol is something that I have never previously experienced on an operational tour."